Chapter 38: Excessive mercy is treason to the homeland!

I came riding on horseback in front of the rebel still standing strong and looked at the soldier responsible behind him. He had a young face above average. There was indecision in his eyes, looking at me with a worried expression. His hand holding the sword was trembling, and I looked at the rebel standing right in front of him.

I understood why the soldier hesitated, as the only surviving rebel was quite young. He was nearly my age... or rather, close to my age in this world.

"What's your name, soldier?" I asked loudly.

"Reanolf, your Excellency!" he replied with a fearful face and a shaky voice.

"Why aren't you doing what you're supposed to, Reanolf?" I shouted, looking into his eyes.

"Your Excellency... He's just a child..."

"So?"

"I can't do this... I'm sorry, your Excellency. Can someone else do it in my place?" he asked with trembling hands.

Someone stepped out to the left, and when I looked at the badge on his shoulder, I understood he was a high-ranking officer.

"Your Excellency, if you permit, I can do it" he said calmly and with a deep voice.

"No, step aside and don't speak again until I address you."

, no matter how high his rank, ranks mean nothing next to a prince. I was his owner, not his superior, and discipline is the number one rule in the army. If discipline is not maintained during a rebellion and soldiers don't take me seriously, failure is inevitable.

The man stepped back, and I focused my eyes on Reanolf again.

"You will handle this, Private Reanolf."

"But Your Excellency, he's just a chil—"

"Shut up! Who gave you permission to speak?" My harsh words frightened him, and his hands began to tremble intensely. Clearly, he was a rookie soldier, and this was his first experience.

"For defying the authority of the Asina Kingdom and licking the boots of a foreign state! The punishment for these crimes is death. Moreover, belonging to an insurgent group that attempted assassination against a royal member like me and committing yet undetermined dozens of other crimes, the only punishment for this man is death, regardless of age, identity, gender, lineage, or blood!"

"Please, your Excellency! We didn't know it was you! We thought they were Lord Dayoesnis's troops, but if we had known it was your command, we would never have attacked! Please have mercy!" pleaded the young rebel.

"Excessive mercy is treason to the homeland! Now tell me, Private Reanolf, are you a traitor?" I asked loudly, ignoring the rebel's pleas, and still looking at Reanolf.

"N-No, your Excellency! I am not a traitor!" he replied, his eyes moving with fear.

"Then do what you must...!"

"..."

There was still hesitation in Reanolf's eyes, but he tightened his grip on the sword. Ignoring the other soldiers who watched the chaos with admiring eyes, I looked at Reanolf. He raised his sword into the air with trembling hands, and finally... determination gleamed in his eyes.

The next moment, a painful cry filled the air for a few seconds, and Reanolf's handsome young face was covered in blood, but the expression on his face seemed as if something had burst and enlightenment had occurred within him, oblivious to the blood on his face.

"Well done, soldier! From now on, you are a loyal member of the royal unity" I said and controlled the reins of my horse to leave there. Leaving behind a silent atmosphere and the stares of the soldiers on my back, I went to Emilia.

"Y-Your Excellency, are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. After waiting for the bodies to be buried, inform the captain that I want to go to Blackswamp village immediately" I said.

"Yes, as you command" Emilia said.

As I was about to leave, I grabbed her arm.

"I will rest inside the carriage. Join me later if you want. You look tired" I said.

Emilia was embarrassed to be so close to me and her face turned red, but she had been blushing so much lately that I think she was getting close to gaining immunity.

"Yes, Your Excellency." she said.

I let go of her and looked back at her. My eyes wandered for a moment to her back, then a little lower to her round and plump buttocks, but I quickly checked myself. Her hips, filling out her armor, were certainly attractive. "Not yet, little guy, not yet, but soon..."

So I returned to the carriage prepared for me. I personally designed and prepared this carriage interior. There was an L-shaped seat in the carriage, perfect for sleeping. Clearly, I was very sensitive to sleeping while sleeping both before and after, so I was used to some comfort. Sitting sleeping was very difficult for me and that's why I made it special for myself.

I commissioned it from the Blacksmith.

There was another reason I couldn't place the L-shaped sofa...

Five to ten minutes later, Emilia opened the carriage door and looked at me. "We are ready to leave, Your Excellency. Do you have any orders you wish to convey?" she asked.

"No. Come inside," I said with a smile. It was as if there was an atmosphere where I hadn't just been assassinated by rebels a little while ago.

Emilia's face blushed more than usual, and she entered the carriage shyly, avoiding eye contact. Trying to suppress her embarrassment, she sat on the other side of the seat, right behind me. I leaned back and rested my head on her lap. I think I'm above the clouds right now... My God, how can a human's flesh be this soft? Her plump thighs were more comfortable than any pillow.

Looking up, I noticed that Emilia was trying to hide her blushing face and was closing her eyes to focus on something else, but if you close your eyes, you feel the situation you're in even more. Of course, being right under her two gigantic mountains, I couldn't see her face much, but I could tell she was very shame

Actually, the reason for doing this was to reduce her embarrassment and make her feel more comfortable with me, but I think I acted too quickly.

"Emilia?"

"Y-yes, Your Excellency?"

"If you become my wife and I declare you the second queen, would you be upset with me?" I asked suddenly.

"Wha-what-WHAT?!" My sudden question startled her.

"I just wanted to tell you already.... "I think I made it more awkward...but I just wanted to bring up a topic that would make us forget that we were so close and I think I succeeded but that's not what I wanted...

"I-I wouldn't mind... THAT IS IF I ACCEPT! Y-your marriage proposal..." she said, panicking. Sёarch* The nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

When I laughed at her sweet situation, she turned her face away, and her face turned red up to her ears. "T-this isn't funny!"

"Hahaha, I'm sorry... It's just that your reactions are so cute."

When she looked like she might throw me off her lap and run away at any moment, I decided not to tease her any further...

But I was me...

"But why wouldn't you accept? Who wouldn't want a handsome, wealthy, powerful, and most importantly, a husband who loves you? Moreover, even though I'm still inexperienced, I will definitely perform well in bed..."

As these words came out of my mouth, I saw that Emilia's skin had turned red, and her embarrassment had increased so much that she forgot I was a prince and threw my head off her lap, running towards the door. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch her, and because I was laughing, she had already jumped out of the carriage before I could grab her.

Luckily, the carriage wasn't moving too fast, and Emilia managed to keep her balance. Looking out the window, I saw that she had already mounted her own horse in the back. To hide her blushing face from the other soldiers, she wore a steel helmet that covered her entire face.

My heart finally calmed down, and when I looked at her, I noticed the involuntary smile on my face. "I think I'm falling in love..."

After Emilia left, the carriage fell silent and felt empty. I had grown more accustomed to her than I realized, which was normal since she had been by my side since infancy and was my knight. Still, the reason I wanted to make her the second queen was not because I loved her less, but for her own good.

After all, the first queen had never been someone without noble lineage, and if that were to change, although no one would say anything to Emilia's face, I am sure they would gossip behind her back.

In the end, the factions that did not want me on the throne could claim that Emilia was using me like a puppet or that I was too madly in love with her to be a competent king. When all this happened, Emilia would first blame herself, see herself as insufficient, eventually lose her self-respect, and perhaps even suffer damage to her mental health.

Even though Emilia was a highly skilled swords woman and a very strong woman, I knew that her heart was soft and fragile like jelly because she had been by my side for years. So, if she protected me from physical attacks, at least I should protect her from emotional attacks.

Most likely, among my future queens, she would be the only one to become queen because I loved her, but I would not be like my father. Even though Emilia's character was very different from Fiona's, I should not make distinctions among my wives.

Still, it's too early to think about all this... Now that Blackswamp Village is visible on the horizon, I must focus on quelling the rebellion.